The Adventures of Parsley

The Adventures of Parsley
Genre Children's television
Created by Michael Bond
Written by Michael Bond
Directed by Ivor Wood
Country of origin England
Original language(s) English
No. of episodes 32
Production
Running time 5 minutes
Production company(s) FilmFair
Broadcast
Original channel BBC1
Audio format Monaural
Original run 6 April 1970 – February 1, 1971
Chronology
Preceded by The Herbs

The Adventures of Parsley was a 32-episode children's television series animated in stop motion. Produced by FilmFair, The Adventures of Parsley was a spin-off of The Herbs. Its opening credits featured either Parsley the lion roaring or Dill the dog barking with their head in a circle, in parody of MGM's logo. The Herbs and The Adventures of Parsley were created and written by Michael Bond, directed by Ivor Wood, and distributed by BBC1. BBC1 premiered The Adventures of Parsley on 6 April 1970. The five-minute episodes concluded the day's broadcast of children's programming, and preceded the early evening broadcast of BBC News.

The Adventures of Parsley episodes

Title Broadcast date Synopsis
"Cowboys and Indians" 6 April 1970 While playing "a nice quiet game of cowboys and Indians", Parsley and Dill are alarmed to see smoke-rings in the sky. Believing that Indians are actually attacking the Herb Garden, they make plans for battle with Constable Knapweed, Mr. Onion and the Chives - only for them all to be embarrassed when Tarragon the Dragon reveals that it was just him.
"Aunt Mint's Barbeque Party" 7 April 1970 Parsley and Dill receive a telegram from Aunt Mint, but they have trouble reading what it says and matters are further complicated when Dill eats the telegram by mistake. When they smell cooking they discover too late that they had been invited to a barbecue.
"Toothache" 8 April 1970 After biting his tongue, Parsley bumps into Bayleaf's wheelbarrow. When questioned by Constable Knapweed, he does nothing but groan and howl, leading Knapweed and Bayleaf to conclude that he must have toothache. Their attempt to help him does not end well for Dill's house.
"Dill's Who's Who Entry" 10 April 1970 Dill writes a flattering description of himself as an entry for Who's Who. Parsley does not consider the description at all accurate and insists on going through it with him.
"Parsley's Invention of a Mechanical Dog" 13 April 1970 Tired of hearing about Dill's obsession with bones, Parsley attempts to invent a mechanical dog which isn't obsessed with them.
"Holiday's at Home" 15 April 1970 Parsley is thinking of going on holiday, but cannot decide where to go or even how to get there. He and Dill invent a set of paper wings to fly there, but neither Parsley nor Tarragon the Dragon have much success with them.
"Parsley at a Loose End" 20 April 1970 Feeling at a loose end, Parsley offers services in the agony column of a newspaper - only to receive more jobs than he can handle.
"Dill's Restaurant" 21 April 1970 Dill opens a restaurant, but Parsley is not impressed when he finds that most of the food served there is centred on bones. Dill has a steak, but an attempt to cook it - with Constable Knapweed's help - ends in disaster.
"Sage's Birthday" 22 April 1970
"Buried Bones" 24 April 1970
"The Conch Shell" 27 April 1970
"Putting on a Show" 28 April 1970
"Works of Art by Dill" 29 April 1970
"The Crystal Ball" 1 May 1970
"Dill's Day" 4 May 1970
"The Quiz" 20 July 1970
"Dill's Television Set" 27 July 1970
"Eggs and a Golf Ball" 3 August 1970 Parsley mistakes one of Sir Basil's golf balls for an egg, and attempts to get Sage the Owl to hatch it.
"On Strike" 10 August 1970
"The Pop Group" 17 August 1970
"Mahatma Dill" 24 August 1970 Parsley wonders why Dill is acting all knowledgeable.
"The Art of Self Defence" 31 August 1970 Following a supposed burglary of Bayleaf's paint tin, Mr. Onion gives a lecture on how the Herbs should defend themselves.
"Parsley's Insomnia" 7 September 1970 Parsley cannot sleep and asks around the garden for help.
"Parsley's Car" 14 September 1970 Parsley considers buying a car off of Dill, who inherited it from an uncle.
"Dill Learns French" 21 September 1970 Parsley worries about Dill's sanity when he sees him learning French.
"School Prize" 28 September 1970 Parsley and Dill take part in the school exams for a valuable prize
"Dill's One Dog Show" 5 October 1970 Parsley watches Dill rehearse his One Dog Show at the theatre.
"Dill's Garage" 12 October 1970 When his car breaks down, Parsley takes it to "Dill's Garage" not anticipating Dill's lack of mechanical knowhow. In the end, it turns out the petrol tank was empty.
"The Endurance Test" 19 October 1970 Wanting some sleep (disturbed by Bayleaf using his lawnmower, Knapweed blowing his whistle and Sage noisily chirping), Parsley tricks the noisemakers into doing an "endurance test".
"Ugh' Day" 26 October 1970 When Parsley goes to sleep to try and sleep off an illness described as "Ugh", he has a dream in which he consults other Herbs for help.
"Taxi Service" 2 November 1970
"Old Memories" 1 February 1971